THE Harry Gwala District Municipality mayor, Mluleki Ndobe, told the new councillors in four local municipalities to “equip themselves with education” in their five-year term of office.
Ndobe was addressing a special council meeting in Ixopo after his appointment as mayor last Thursday.
He said councillors without matric that they must study to get junior degrees or diplomas before their term ends in 2021.
“Let us make education fashionable.”
Between 2011 and 2016 the district was made up of five municipalities, after the merger of the former KwaSani and Ingwe municipalities, and is now called the Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Municipality.
Ndobe said the responsibility of the new municipality is to fast-track service delivery for citizens.
“We want to make sure that the bucket eradication initiative, costing more than R20 million, is complete in order to provide descent sanitation for the people. The new municipality is going to be assisted when building its administrative centre in Bulwer.”
He added that projects of revamping infrastructure that results in water leaks and sewer spillages in Kokstad will continue especially in townships.
“In the next two years we must have resolved all the leaks and spillages around Kokstad. We must also speed up the process of connecting households to decent sanitation particularly in Horseshoe.
“Umzimkhulu is the most populous municipality in the district with more than 200 000 people, and which in terms of population size, accounts for almost half of the population in the district.
“The municipality has a huge backlog in water and sanitation and electricity. We are going to work around the clock to complete projects that are currently under way.”
Harry Gwala ANC Youth League spokesperson Sbusiso Phuzi congratulated the new councillors and mayors and called for youth empowerment.
“Young people must be empowered in skills development and education. The youth league is happy about the election of young people as executive committee members in all four local municipalities and the district.”
At a special council meeting former GKM Mayor Nosisa Jojozi was elected speaker.
